


Can’t Fake Like I’m Alright

by Kate_alexis121314



Series: Spideychelle lyric one-shots [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt Michelle Jones, Michelle seems to be in love with the wrong person, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter please just give Michelle a hug, Peter’s a dork in love, Why is Brad here, brad sucks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-04
Updated: 2019-07-04
Packaged: 2020-06-03 12:34:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19464094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kate_alexis121314/pseuds/Kate_alexis121314
Summary: Peter Parker knows that he’s in love with Michelle Jones. He wants to work up the courage to tell her, and he’s fairly certain she feels the same way. Alas, in the midst of all this, there’s a minor inconvenience stopping Peter from confiding in MJ. And his name is Brad Davis.A sudden twist of fate throws an opportunity at Peter. Will he take this chance? Or will he brush off his feelings and accept that he’s fine without the girl he loves?





	Can’t Fake Like I’m Alright

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! Yes, I’m back again! This time, in a series of one-shots based on song lyrics. I’m not sure of how many I’ll be doing, but I have at least a few stories in mind. 
> 
> (On another note, I just watched “Spider-Man Far From Home” last night, and I can say with full certainty that it’s my all-time favourite movie. Seriously, go watch it. Like, right now.)
> 
> This one-shot title is a song lyric from Ariana Grande’s “Fake Smile” (great song; definitely recommend it), and I tried to base this story around that one lyric. I may do some based off of a whole song in the future, but for now, I hope you enjoy this small fic! 
> 
> This is my first attempt at a one-shot.. just going to warn you in advance. Hope you still like it, nonetheless 
> 
> || This is not related to my previous fic “You’re My Loser” at all, other than the characters involved. This is a different storyline altogether ||

There’s a famous quote that goes, “if you love someone, let them go.”

Peter Parker knew with 100% certainty that this statement was much easier said than done.

Especially when the one you love is so far out of reach. When they’re so…. 

Desirable.

Peter never knew just how much distance would play a role in his interest in a single person, even if the distance was mostly metaphorical.

Now, Michelle Jones wasn’t always such a vital being in Peter’s life. She hadn’t always been something that he craved seeing every day. It wasn’t always this extreme.

He’d known her for quite a long time; they’d seen each other in the halls ever since their second year of middle school.

She was in quite a lot of his science and biology classes as the years progressed, nearing the end of middle school and the beginning of their years in high school; they clearly had a lot in common. This also showed in the fact that they were both some of the smartest members of the academic decathlon team at the Midtown School of Science and Technology.

They had always seemed like kind-of-friends to Peter; her occasional playful flip-offs and snarky jokes became more frequent in the passing months. They became closer than in their middle school years, and MJ somehow -and seemingly unintentionally- wedged her way into Peter Parker and Ned Leeds’ nerdy group of two.

Since she had joined this little friend group, it was clear that she would eventually figure out -if not be told- about Peter’s insect alter-ego known to the world as Spider-Man. He was nervous about this; he knew he  _ should  _ tell her, seeing as he and Ned trusted her enough to let her join the Star-Wars fan club (well, in their minds that’s what they called it. MJ on the other hand wanted nothing to do with the “lame space movies”). And she was going to find out at some point; their friend group literally consisted of a world-renowned superhero and his “guy-in-the-chair”. He just didn’t want to have another person worrying when he didn’t come back from a mission on-time. He didn’t want another person wondering if he had died. 

She shouldn’t have that weighing on her conscience if anything ever happened to him.

He didn’t really have much of a choice in the matter; being Peter, he was completely oblivious to the fact that Ned  _ and  _ MJ could both show up at his house at any given time (the downside of having friends). This resulted in Peter requesting to meet Ned after swinging through town late on a school night one day. He assumed MJ wouldn’t be coming (she was usually busy at the town library, lost in a book, at this time of night), so he simply swung into his bedroom window, fully decked-out in his Spider-Man onesie, landing right in front of both Ned  _ and  _ MJ. All three of them stood in silence, eyes wide in surprise; Peter, because he couldn’t believe he had been such an idiot and accidentally revealed his secret identity yet again. Ned, because he couldn’t believe Peter had been such an idiot and revealed his secret identity yet again. MJ, because (Peter assumed) it was a surprise to find out that your nerdy friend was actually one of the most famous superheroes on Earth. But after a few moments she snorted out a laugh and said she suspected something anyway… Ned and Peter clearly weren’t the best at keeping things hush-hush. At least now some of the tension was gone.

It was nice, their friend group of three; an abundance of time both in school and out was spent together. Science and bio classes, brief passings in the halls, decath meetings, study “dates” (as they had so jokingly put it). But some things weren’t always Ned-inclusive; MJ would sometimes come alone to stay with Peter if he had detention (which happened frequently, as a result of his skipping class for his role as Spider-Man) to sketch people in crisis, study for upcoming tests, or even just to discus -in full detail- a book she had just finished. They’d stay up late together on the phone from time to time, talking about simultaneously nothing and everything.

But Michelle was nothing more than a friend to him. Just a female friend, interchangeable with Ned. After all, he still had Liz to worry about. That is, until, her dad was thrown in the slammer for harbouring a mass amount of illegal alien material which had resulted in his turning into of the villain known as the Vulture. Liz and her mom had moved to Oregon, and that was that.

It wasn’t until that fateful day when Thanos’ snap destroyed almost all of humanity, seemingly forever, when he realized how much MJ meant to him. When the Avengers (and the entirety of heroes from all over the world) saved the planet from mass destruction and Peter  _ finally  _ returned to his High School, MJ greeted him at the door with a desperate hug and tears in her chocolate-brown eyes.

“I’m glad you’re safe,” she had whispered into his ear, head buried in his shoulder, her arms wrapped tightly around his shoulders and neck. His were firmly locked around her waist and gripping her lower back. 

He remembered the faint scent of her cucumber shampoo as he closed his eyes and turned his head to whisper into her hair “me too.”

It was in that moment that everything changed.

Nothing was the same for him.

When she would give him snarky comments during class, his heart would start to beat at a dangerously high rate.

When she would bump her shoulder against his as a friendly gesture on their walks to the library, the tips of his ears would start to burn uncontrollably.

And when she called him “tiger” for the first time, the result of a cringey joke between the trio of friends, all the blood in his body rushed to his face, and he was pretty sure he was about to pass out.

It was unbearable for him to live like this any longer. He had to tell her how he felt. 

He had to tell her that he loved her.

There was only one problem

And his name was Brad Davis.

Brad had grown up going to the same middle school as Peter, and moved up to Midtown Tech along with him. Peter had nothing against the football-liking jock who also had a keen interest in astrophysics. They would even chat at decath meetings from time to time, but nothing major; small talk about upcoming finals, the oddities of their teacher Mr. Harrington, sometimes a brief “hi” in the halls. Nothing more.

This somewhat friendly and upbeat attitude toward Brad suddenly changed when Peter realized their smart classmate had also taken a liking towards MJ. He’d attempt to sit closer to her during classes, would raise his hand enthusiastically, eager to answer when she asked trivia questions at practice. He noticed that he’d visit her in the library before Peter could even get a chance. Not wanting to  _ intrude  _ on his two classmates, he’d turn away with a frown, staring down at his sneakers. 

He was too embarrassed to speak when both were together; he felt weird. But at the same time he always wanted to watch them from afar, making sure Brad didn’t try anything. Peter knew he shouldn’t feel such a possessive or protective attitude towards MJ; it’s not at all like they were dating. She was seemingly unaware of his massive crush on her anyway. so why should he feel like he wanted to wrap her in a hug every time she seemed upset or more annoyed than usual? Why did he always want to make her feel protected and safe?

Wondering things like this often left Peter in a down mood, and made it worse when he’d see MJ, even if that’s hard to believe. All he’d see when he looked at her was a girl just waiting to speak with another classmate. Hangouts at Peter’s were uncomfortable. Study nights were no longer an enjoyable ritual. They were awkward and clumsy and painful. He didn’t think it could get much worse than it already was.

That is, until MJ and Brad became “a thing”.

Yes, they started dating.

Peter found out through a very apologetic Ned, who had heard it from a very excited Betty (who knew nothing about Peter’s crush on MJ), who had been told by a very nervous MJ (who wanted to keep things private until they were sure they were ready to tell everyone).

That was the day that Peter wanted to be with MJ more than he had ever wanted her before. He was so upset that Brad was suddenly with her. He was upset that Brad was now the one she could call her boyfriend. He wanted that more than words could imply. But he couldn’t tell her these words now. Not with Brad involved.

The passing days were pure torture for Peter. He’d purposely glance down at the yellowed tiles of the school when he’d see MJ and Brad walking together. He’d leave the room when Brad would make her giggle. And when they held hands in public for the first time, Peter wanted to puke.

It didn’t last long, though.

In merely two weeks, a rumour arose that Brad had cheated on MJ with a girl from another High School nearby. Through Betty he learned that MJ had confronted Brad and found out that this was, indeed, true. 

The result was a very upset and distraught MJ, seen the next day at school with tear streaks down her brown cheeks, her eyes tinged red with exhaustion. It seemed she was up all night crying. Peter didn’t feel any joy or pride in knowing MJ and Brad were done for good, he just felt an immense pain for the girl he loved.

Peter was just about ready to knock some sense into Brad, but was pleaded not to by Ned, insisting that it would do no good and would only get him in trouble. Peter knew he was right, but it didn’t lessen his urge to throttle the life out of the boy who seemingly broke MJ’s heart.

She got past it quickly though; in just a few days, she was back to her normal, snarky-self; chin raised and striding confidently through the halls as she flipped Peter off with a friendly smirk.

Things grew slightly better between them since Brad was out of the picture. Peter was able to actually breathe when they had conversations, and decath meetings stopped ending with him awkwardly leaving the room from watching MJ and Brad interact. Things were good. Things were fine.

Things were back to normal.

But Peter didn’t want normal. He wanted MJ.

And on a simple night of patrolling the streets of NYC, he didn’t think he’d end up revealing that to her.

But we can’t change our destiny, and neither could Peter.

He had just finished up helping an old man in a wheelchair cross the street and was unknowingly headed towards the town library. Whistling softly to himself, he took a break from webbing, strolling casually down the sidewalk. He turned down an alleyway next to the library, and who should he see but Michelle Jones herself, head buried in a book. She didn’t even look up.

“Good read?” He asked with a small cough, causing her to look up in surprise. A strand of hair fell over her eyes and she let out an amused chuckle as she pushed it back behind her ear.

“Do you always stalk people like this? Or are you just doing this to annoy me?” She challenged, raising an eyebrow as she closed her book and shoving it into her bag.

“Who says I’m stalking you?” He questioned back, not even batting an eye. He had gotten quite good at formulating responses to her accusing statements, and enjoyed some friendly banter once in a while.

She narrowed her eyes. 

“Don’t play cocky, Peter. It doesn’t suit you,” she stated, crossing her arms defiantly. But her eyes danced with amusement.

“Then what  _ does  _ suit me?” He asked, taking a step forwards and pulling off his mask.

She opened her mouth to respond, before closing her mouth again in a thin line. Her expression changed from humoured back to its normal dead-pan expression. “Sorry, Peter, I’m just not in the mood for this,” she mumbled, looking down at her sneakers. She kicked at a small pebble.

It rolled across the ground and hit Peter’s foot. He watched it roll across the cement before coming to a halt. He looked back up to MJ, but she refused to meet his eye.

It was about Brad, wasn’t it.

“No, it’s okay, I get it. I’m sorry… about…” he trailed off. She looked up at him, her gaze prompting him to continue. “About you and Brad.”

She rolled her eyes with a scoff. “It’s fine. I don’t care. I should’ve known it was all a game,” she mumbled in response. 

Peter felt his heart drop. He took a step closer.

“No, MJ, it’s  _ not  _ fine,” he stated clearly, and she met his eye, surprised by his sudden serious tone. “You should be treated right. You should be treated… p-perfect,” he stumbled on his last words, unsure if he should’ve said them. 

She glanced from his right eye to his left, slowly. Her face displayed no emotion, save for her brown orbs which seemed to gleam the slightest bit.

“Oh really?” She asked casually, arms still crossed as she took a slow step forward.

Peter nodded, eyes wide.

MJ took another step forward. Their toes of their shoes were now kissing. He wanted more than that.

“And who would treat me perfect...” she started as a whisper, her gaze trailing from the bottom of his chin, up his jawline, and towards his ear. She leaned in. “...Spider-Man?” 

Peter shivered as her breath puffed against his ear, sending a feeling of electricity through his entire body. 

He gulped.

“Me.”

They both went silent, MJ still with her mouth up to his ear, Peter standing with his eyes wide open. She pulled away, looking down. Her cheeks were tinged with a light pinkish colour, and he could tell she was embarrassed. 

“Peter, I’m sorry, I don’t know what the fuck I just said,” she murmured with a small shake to her head.

He gently reached out to take her hand in his. He snaked his fingers between hers, intertwining their hands. “No, I’m serious, MJ. I-,” he gulped again. “I really like you.”

She inhaled shakily. 

“Peter I… I like you too,” she whispered, staring down at their hands. Peter clasped his free hand overtop of them. She swallowed thickly, gaze not moving. “But I can’t get hurt again. I don’t want to be fooled like that. Not again. Every fucking time it’s always some kind of game. And I’m done.”

She pulled away slowly, gently moving Peter’s hands from her own. She stepped backwards, but Peter reached out again, desperate for her to stay. “MJ, I would  _ never  _ hurt you like that,” he promised, gently placing a hand on her waist.

“You can’t promise me that Pete-“

“Yes. Yes I can,” he interrupted. “You mean so much to me, MJ. And I’ve wanted to tell you that for so long. You’re perfect,” he managed to get out, voice cracking and eyes widening with emotion.

She looked up, and it was as if something changed. A flip had switched inside her head, and he knew that because she gave a small, nervous smile as she stepped closer. She reached a hand up to his face, and gently used her forefinger to trace his jawline with her fingertip. She brushed her hand so light over his skin, it felt like nothing more than a tickle of air.

Peter forgot how to breathe. 

She brought her hand up to rest on the back of his neck. 

Peter gave a half smile, reaching out with his hand and wrapping it firmly around her waist. He pulled her in closer, so close that the toes of their sneakers kissed and their noses almost touched. 

They were both breathing shakily, and Peter could feel her pulse racing underneath his fingertips. She brought her lips close to his ear again, and Peter shivered as her hair tickled his cheek.

“If I’m so _ perfect _ , Peter…” she whispered into his ear, her voice so low that Peter might’ve described it as a purr. “...then feel free to corrupt me,” she finished, her words breathy and light, yet laced with something more adventurous and enticing.

Without hesitation, Peter slid his hands up to her cheeks, pulling her forward and closing the gap between them. His lips pressed against hers, desperate and needy and wanting everything.

She kissed him back with the same desperation, her hands sliding further across his shoulders, tightening her forearms around his neck. Her movements were gentle but firm. She shivered slightly as she moved. It was like she was sure of every movement, but scared of how he would react.

He pulled away, panting, gazing into those beautiful brown eyes.

“Wanna go to my room?” He gasped out, tucking a loose hair behind her ear.

She nodded vigorously, wrapping her legs around his waist as he pulled his mask back over his face.

He positioned his one arm out, ready to shoot a web. The other was locked firmly around her waist.

“Y’know, Brad’s a dumb name anyway,” he teased shooting out the web and attaching it onto a nearby lamppost.

“Shut up,” she protested with a snort, and that was the last thing she said before they were whisked away, up towards the sky.


End file.
